The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boko haram

  • 180 suspected Boko Haram militants killed in Cameroon

    Cameroonian soldiers have killed at least 180 militants suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect in the northern part of the country, a military source said Friday.

    The insurgents were killed during attack at Amchide, an area bordering Nigeria, at about 8pm on Thursday night, the Chinese news agency, Xinhua, reported.

    About 400 militants allegedly attacked the defence and security forces, the report added.

    The source said there was no casualty on the Cameroon side.

    The attack came nearly two months after 200 suspected Boko Haram militants were killed by the army in Amchide and Limani, another part of northern Cameroon.

    Since then, the security forces have strengthened their positions in the north by increasing the number of personnel to around 6,000.

     

  • Troops intercept Boko Haram hit list

    Troops intercept Boko Haram hit list

    •27 killed at Hildi, Balmo forest
    •Borno, Adamawa residents hail military

    The Defence Headquarters said yesterday troops have intercepted a hit list of Boko Haram and sketches of communities to be attacked by the insurgents.

    Also, the troops have killed 27 insurgents at Hildi, Balmo and Lame forests.

    But six soldiers were injured in various encounters with the insurgents.

    The Defence Headquarters tweeted yesterday its achievements in the current fight against insurgency, especially in the Northeast, to show that the military had recaptured some of the seized towns from the insurgents.

    Normal activities were also being restored to some of the towns, such as Mubi and Hong, where the insurgents had been sacked.

    The tweet said: “The campaign against terrorists’ activities is continuing with air and land operations being conducted in various theatres in parts of the country.

    “…Six soldiers were wounded in the encounter. Troops have eventually taken control of the Lame Forest. In Balmo and Lame Forest encounters, over 20 terrorists lost their lives while some were reported wounded.

    “Troops also recovered a number of rifles and motorcycles, after a stiff resistance by terrorists was crushed. Troops, in pursuit of terrorists, caught up with them around Hildi. In the ensuing encounter, over seven terrorists lost their lives. Five rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition as well as bows and arrows were recovered from them.”

    Another military source added: “Back to winning ways, which they lost in the fake ceasefire agreement sometimes ago, Nigerian troops have captured the documents containing a list of communities about to be attacked and sketches of the towns from fleeing terrorists in Adamawa State.

    “In two separate operations spanning Adamawa and Bauchi states, the troops also killed 27 suspected terrorists during fierce confrontations in a bid to rid the areas of insurgency.

    “During another special raid operation conducted on Balmo and Lame forests linking Borno, Bauchi and Adamawa states, the determined troops recovered rifles and a number of motorcycles, after a stiff resistance by terrorists was crushed.”

    The Defence spokesman, General Chris Olukolade, who confirmed the incidents, added: “Six soldiers were wounded in the encounters.”

    Also, the people of Adamawa State have hailed the military for curtailing the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Army recently recovered areas occupied by insurgents in Mubi North, Mubi South, Gombi and Hong local government areas.

    A cross section of the people who spoke on the successes recorded against the sect members said the development was a big relief.

    “I was thinking of leaving Yola for Abuja or Lokoja when Boko Haram took over Mubi and other areas. But with this development, I am now relaxed and hope to do my Christmas here,” Peter John said.

    Tizhe Kwada, Ibrahim Abdulrahman and Felix Vandi, who hailed from Michika town, hailed the military for their successes.

    They called for steady military advance to cover Michika and Madagali local government areas.

    “I want them to sustain the tempo and cover Michika and Madagali local government areas to make it a total liberation of the territories in Adamawa,” Vandi said.

  • Terrorism: Nigeria at crossroads – 2

    Terrorism: Nigeria at crossroads – 2

    The recent attack on Ashaka Cement Factory in Gombe, may have come because the Boko Haram terrorists had gone low on materials for manufacturing Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, hence, they attacked the factory and carted away lorry-loads of explosives-making materials, which they seem to have quickly put to use. As things stand now, Nigeria seems to be at crossroads over what to do to end this senseless war declared on the nation and the citizens by these ruthless, bloodsuckers called Boko Haram.

    A greater percentage of the blame goes to our politicians who have been playing politics with human lives. Whether it is at the executive level or the legislature, the story is the same. Not even the hierarchy of the existing political parties, particularly the major ones, can be exonerated. It is a case of politics and politicking carried too far to the detriment of the peace and corporate existence of the country. At a time all hands should be on deck, with the country speaking with one voice against the agents of destabilization, what you see is a cacophony of voices, each canvassing for different viewpoints as solution to the menace of terrorism. Never before in the history of this great country have the people become so tacitly and overtly divided along ethnic, tribal, religious and ideological lines as we experience today in Nigeria.

    And while our politicians are busy trading blames and running themselves down on the pages of newspapers, the terrorists are busy perfecting their strategies to actualise their desire to carve out an Islamic Caliphate in Nigeria and impose Sharia. This is the reason why some of the captured territories in the three North-east states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, have had the names of some of their towns changed from their original names to purely Islamic names. For instance, Gwoza, a town in Borno State which was captured in July has been changed to Darul Hikma or “House of Wisdom,” while Mubi, a flourishing town in the North Senatorial District of Adamawa State was changed to Madinatul Islam, or “City of Islam” in Arabic.

    The military appears to be helpless because going by the dictates of the constitution; they must subjugate and subordinate themselves to civilian authority in a democracy. Of course, the military is grappling with its own numerous problems, but it is sad that rather than helping out, our policy makers have, indeed, worsened their problems by engaging in unnecessary debates and foot dragging in matters that require prompt attention. This way, the civilian policy makers have caused the military more trouble thereby aggravating their predicament.

    The cumulative effect of this official lethargy vis-à-vis the non-release or quick release of funds for salaries and allowances has greatly brought the morale of the soldiers to an all-time low. It will be very bad if there is a fight among these politicians during the electioneering period or the election itself in February and soldiers are called upon to restore peace, I am sure Boko Haram could convert this confusion to their immediate advantage. They could as well hide under the ensuing confusion and plot their way straight to Lagos, the heartbeat of Nigeria’s economy. If they succeed in getting to Yola, they will simply head for Makurdi, from there to Nasarawa State and Abuja. By so doing, they would have cut off Maiduguri from the bottom. Come to think of it, after all, it is the civilians that started this Boko Haram of a thing in the first place. Now, the monster has outgrown their capacity to dictate the tune and the military, the only saving grace, is battling to contain the turmoil.

    Surprisingly, while the military is over-stretched and continues to be battered by critics, other security agents seem to have alienated themselves from the problem. At least, by virtue of their closeness to the people, other security agencies in the country could have been able to help especially by gathering massive intelligence to prosecute this war. Unfortunately, these agencies may have abdicated this responsibility while concentrating on other issues possibly because they are ill-equipped both in manpower and materials to perform such functions and render a helping hand to the military in the ongoing campaign.

    What is happening in Nigeria is very absurd. It is as if the security of the country has been consigned totally to the military. This is wrong. Aside from the military, other security agencies including the current arm-chair operatives of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, NIA, should be involved in activities to nip this terrorism in the bud and curtail their havoc on the society. The NIA, the agency that is saddled with the responsibility of gathering external intelligence, does not seem to be alive to its duty. Few days ago, the Americans spoke about the discovery of a training base run by the Islamist militant group, ISIS, in Libya and were monitoring developments there. I doubt if the NIA had such information before now and if they do, what have they done? It is believed that the war machines being used by the Boko Haram terrorists were brought into the country from Libya through neighbouring Niger Republic and Chad. Obviously, I am sure those now undergoing training in Libya are Boko Haram terrorists that will soon be let loose on Nigeria. And we are all carrying on as if nothing is happening.

    There is certainly an international conspiracy to this crisis, which is why the international community has been aloof all this while. Take the issue of the aircraft that was impounded with its arms cargo in Kano, last weekend. The aircraft’s destination was Chad, the operational headquarters of Boko Haram. That is suspect. We must properly equip our security agencies to enable them to adequately rise up to the security challenges facing the nation. Fighting terrorists like the Boko Haram requires good intelligence. That is, going behind their lines, infiltration, pre-emptive attacks and disruption of their supply routes and so on and so forth. This is why other security agencies in the country must work together with the military. The reason is that while the military comprising the Army, Air Force and the Navy may be less than 150,000 personnel put together, other security agencies have more numerical strength in their individual capacities, not to talk of when put together. What this implies is that the military is over-stretched. Therefore, other security agencies should rise up to the exigencies of the time. The country is at war and they must all get involved.

    A lot may have gone wrong with the military we used to know, the worst, probably, being its politicisation. Quality training is usually the first casualty when Command Officers are not picked on merit or mostly lacking in combat experience as some Nigerian Generals get promoted only by writing examinations. The President and Commander-in-Chief needs to tell the military chiefs: “I give you two weeks to recover all lost territories otherwise you will be fired.” I am sure with that, the job will be done. The President should be seen to breathe on this people and show his annoyance over the current not-too-impressive handling of the terrorists’ war.

    There is a job to be done and it should be seen to be done. This can be achieved only if the soldiers are promptly paid and given incentives, the sort of incredible incentives that are given to sportsmen and women. Even the fallen heroes should be given hero’s burials in a dignifying manner. The practice of paying a retired General a paltry 10 Million Naira as gratuity, while a Senator collects more than that per month, is obscene, to say the least. These are the iniquities of our democracy. In addition, the government should properly unravel the internal saboteurs who are creating confusion among the soldiers and misleading them at warfronts by diverting their attention from their original plans. This way, many of the soldiers have been ambushed and reduced to mince meat while the terrorists are having a field day. Now is the time to declare a total war on Boko Haram!

    • Concluded

  • Tortious liability for Boko Haram mayhem

    The audacity of a N100m claim as damages, brought by the alleged mastermind of the Nyanya, Abuja, bomb blast, and a Boko Haram kingpin, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, seemingly justify the common saying that the law is an ass. But considering that the matter is subjudice, I temper my comments. On the other hand, the audacious reign of impunity by former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, who intermittently rides into Maiduguri with a battalion of soldiers, despite his alleged culpability in the early formation of the Boko Haram insurgency, somewhat thumbs down the claim that we run a country based on the rule of law.

    Notably, it is the tragic failure of the Nigerian state to diligently prosecute Ogwuche that gave rise to his claims for damages against the state. Also, it is the laxity of the state that allows Sheriff to enjoy the unparalleled security privileges that is unavailable to those that suffer from the Boko Haram mayhem. In the contest of the state abandoning her responsibilities to protect the innocent and punish the guilty, are there rights that those affected by the actions and inactions of the suspected members and financiers of the Boko Haram mayhem, can pursue? The best bet could be an action in tort.

    The law of tort enables a plaintiff to seek compensation or other remedy for an injury or other wrong. So, the founders and members of Boko Haram would bear tortious liability, for the sacks of body bags, bodily injuries, appropriation or malicious destruction of properties, and other wrongs by Boko Haram elements in the north. According to Prof P. H. Winfield, (quoted by learned author, Ese Malami, in his boook, Law of Tort, 2nd ed), tortious liability can be defined as “The breach of a duty primarily fixed by law, this duty is towards persons generally and its breach is redressible by an action for unliquidated damages”.

    One such duty, fixed by case law, is the duty of care, expounded by Lord James Atkin in Donoghue v Stevenson (1932) All ER 1 (quoted in Malami’s Law of Tort) ‘that a person whose action is likely to cause harm, should be careful and conduct himself in such a way to avoid harm to anyone’. The import is that when a duty is owed, a negligent conduct will give rise to liability to damages. According to Lord Atkin: “The rule that you are to love your neighbour become in law, you must not injure your neighbour…. Who, then in law is my neighbour? The answer seems to be persons who are so closely and directly affected by my acts that I ought reasonably to have them in contemplation as being so affected, when I am directing my mind to the acts or omissions which are called in questions.”

    I believe that members and sponsors of Boko Hara owe people living within the vicinity of their operational areas the duty of care, and have been negligent in their conduct, thereby resulting in deaths, bodily injuries and loss of property. According to Akpata JSC in Odinaka v Moghalu (1992) 4 NWLR pt 233, p. 1 at 15 SC (quoted by learned author Malami) “Negligence is the omission … to do something which a reasonable man, under similar circumstances would do or, the doing of something which a reasonable and prudent man would not do”. I am of the view, that forming a militia for whatever reason, and training and arming them, if proved, would constitute negligent acts that is responsible for the mayhem.

    The general rule of law that a person intends the consequences of his action is applicable to a tortfeasor. And so those who founded the organisation that have allegedly metamorphosed into the intractable enemies of the people of Nigeria and those who may have supported it, in one form or another, could be held accoutable as torfeasors. For those who may claim to have founded what they would rather call a political pressure group, instead of armed insurgents waging war to overthrow our country’s democratic order, they would be accosted with the fact that as a general rule, motive is not relevant in determining liability in tort.

    Considering the enormity of damages caused individuals directly by the mayhem, the claim for damages would probably run into trillions of naira, if it can be sustained in a court. It is noteworthy that in determining damages, the rule as established in Wagon Mound’s case (1967) 1 AC 617 PC (quoted in Malami’s Law of Tort) ‘makes a tortfeasor liable only for the reasonably foreseeable consequences of his tort’.

    As stated by Malami, the House of Lords in Hughes v Lord Advocate, while confirming the test of reasonable foreseeability, added that ‘once the consequence of a conduct is foreseeable, the precise chain, sequence of events, or circumstances leading to the said forseeable consequence need not be foreseeable or envisaged, so long as: the damages or consequences of the tort are within the sphere of reasonable foreeability or contemplation; and the damages or consequences is not entirely of a different kind which no one can reasonably foresee or contemplate’.

    Considering that the heads of tortious acts continue to expand, as relationship in modern society also expands, it may be necessary for civil society groups, on behalf of those directly affected by the insurgency, to test in court whether those who have contributed to the tragedy unfolding in the northern part of Nigeria, can be held accountable in tort, even as their criminal responsibilitties is pursued by the state. It is however important to note that since the Boko Haram insurgency is criminal in nature, the proof of culpability against the tortfeasors will be beyound resonable doubt, as in criminal offences.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Return of Hobbes

    Return of Hobbes

    It is the era of self-help: against violence by terrorists; and impunity by the government

    Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, told the people to defend themselves from terror attacks, even if that is the fundamental and legal duty of the state.

    Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, told the people to defend themselves against brazen rights’ violation by the Goodluck Jonathan Presidency, even if the Constitution compels the government to rule by law, not by arbitrary power.

    Welcome, the society of self-help: Boko Haram slays the people; the government slays their rights, even as the government fights Boko Haram.  The Nigerian citizen appears trapped between the devil (terrorists) and the deep blue sea (government)!

    Thomas Hobbes’s state of nature beckons, where life is nasty, brutish and short!  Transplanted to a modern setting, Boko Haram marks an era of acute insecurity that makes nonsense of the concept of the modern state.  Brazen abuse of citizens’ rights, in a supposed democracy, hallmarks creeping fascism.

    It is a dash into the past, on the wings of anomie, with disastrous consequences.  In any case, that appears the grave submission of the combined opinions of these two eminent Nigerian citizens.

    On November 15, Emir Sanusi, speaking at a prayer meeting, told his Kano subjects to defend themselves.  “These people, when they attack towns, they kill boys and enslave girls … People must stand resolute.  People,” he warned, apparently targeting Nigerians beyond the reach of Boko Haram violence for now, “must not assume that the crisis will not reach their area.”

    In an apparent thumbs-down for Nigerian security agencies, the Emir declared: “People must not wait for soldiers to protect them.  There are even instances where soldiers on ground ran away in the face of attack.”

    The Emir’s comment was after the November 14 terrorist bombing at the Magarsiku Filling Station at Hotoro, Kano, with casualties: six dead, five injured.

    But on November 28 Boko Haram, perhaps provoked by the Emir’s virtual call to arms, returned with a blistering attack on Friday worshippers at the Kano Central Mosque’s Jumat, where the Emir himself usually leads prayers.  The Economist, the London weekly, headlined the attack, in its story: “Banker Vs Boko: From inflation targeter [reference to Sanusi’s tenure as CBN governor] to insurgent target.”

    The casualties: no less than 130 worshippers dead; killed by suicide bombers and gunmen; and scores of others injured.  Though the Police had earlier reacted to the Emir’s earlier call for citizen self-defence as a “call to anarchy”, according to The Economist’s report, the attack on the Kano Central Mosque, perhaps targeting Sanusi himself, had justified such a call.  The state appears unable to guarantee security, as clearly compelled by Section 14(2)(B) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

    On December 3, Prof. Soyinka dismissed President Jonathan as “worse than Nebuchadnezzar”, for the fascist inclination of his presidency; and called Nigerian citizens to defend themselves against the present government’s penchant to assault citizens’ rights and subvert state institutions.

    He named two specific examples: the police invasion of the National Assembly; and shameful tear-gassing of House of Representatives members, to prevent Speaker Aminu Tambuwal from gaining access; and the destruction of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), simply because the president’s man lost its chairmanship, 16-19 votes.

    He particularly came down hard on the empty conceit of Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba: his hasty withdrawal of the Speaker’s security details; his arrogant misinterpretation of the law to justify his illegality, and his obduracy, before a parliamentary panel, of defending his rash actions — particularly the desecration of the National Assembly grounds — which not a few feel is not only lawless but brazen.

    “Let’s not beat about the bush: the line has been drawn,” the Nobelist and social critic thundered.  “The people must decide — whether to submit or resist.  We may be no-count plebeians in the sight of the new-born patricians of Aso Rock and their apologists,” he added with biting sarcasm, “but must we revert to the Abachanian status of glorified slaves?”

    Evoking the iconic Ladi as powerful symbol of people’s resistance  — Ladi, the female hunter among men who mauled Boko Haram at Mubi, Adamawa State, even after the army had melted before the Islamists — he called on Nigerians to resist the creeping fascism of President Jonathan, insisting that Nigerians would not vanquish the Abacha military dictatorship only to  succumb to Jonathan’s civilian fascism.

    “Defend yourself!” Soyinka again thundered.  “That is what the perceptive have preached and groups like the so-called [Civilian] Joint Task Force translated into action, the real heroes of the defence of the tattered Nigeria sovereignty.”

    Still, aside from Nigerians’ right to security and legal rights, the self-defence on which Sanusi and Soyinka have harped, not a few Nigerians have since made their peace with self-help  in key areas like water-supplies (public mains are rare and far-between, leaving citizens to dig own wells and make boreholes) and electricity (electricity generating sets and inverters have taken over from scandalously inefficient public power supply, despite the ballyhooed privatisation of the power sector).

    In the field of education and health, it is at best a split scorecard: citizens who have the financial muscles take charge of their own education and health needs, while only the poor tend to leave their fate to government schools and hospitals.

    How does the government justify its existence when it fails in these very basic chores?

    These are the sober posers the Sanusi-Soyinka intervention have brought to the fore.  They bring out, in bold relief, the stark failure of governance; and the gradual collapse of the state — which must bother every rational Nigerian.

    So, rather than resort to vulgar abuse on the social media as many government supporters and other misguided citizens have done, the two eminent citizens deserve praise for hitting the problem right on the head; and challenging the Jonathan government to correct its glaring lapses.

    Nigeria and Nigerians would be better for it, if it did.

  • Cancellation of U.S training logistical, not political – FG

    Cancellation of U.S training logistical, not political – FG

    Nigeria on Friday said a decision to cancel United States training of its soldiers to fight Boko Haram was a logistical, not a political decision.

    The U.S Embassy in Abuja announced on Monday that the Federal Government had halted a training programme of an army battalion, which would have developed into a unit to take on the militants.

    The cancellation came after Nigeria’s ambassador to Washington last month criticised the U.S for the “scope, nature and content” of its support for the counter-insurgency.
    In particular, he said Washington had failed to provide the weapons required to deliver a “killer punch” to Boko Haram.

    But the country’s national security spokesman, Mike Omeri, played down talk of strained diplomatic ties, saying it did not affect the countries’ existing military cooperation.
    “This is just a training component for one battalion of the Nigerian Army,” he told AFP.

    “We have had the first and second phase of that training, so it is not as if the whole bilateral military agreement has been suspended. The suspension is logistical and not political.”

    Omeri was quoted as saying in the Nigerian media on Friday that the cancelled third phase required military equipment to be withdrawn from current operations to be used for training.

    The U.S Embassy had said it regretted the end of the training programme, which had been offered in the wake of Boko Haram’s abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, in mid-April.

    A number of foreign powers sent surveillance and intelligence specialists to Nigeria to assist the military with the search for the 219 teenagers who are still being held.

  • Boko Haram attacks two Gombe towns

    Boko Haram attacks two Gombe towns

    Suspected Boko Haram gunmen yesterday stormed two towns in Gombe State, raiding banks and burning government buildings and political party offices, residents told French News Agency (AFP).

    Scores of gunmen dressed in military uniform arrived in Bajoga, 60 kilometres from Gombe city in a convoy of 20 vehicles at about 7am.

    Troops managed to push out the attackers and they then drove towards Ashaka, which is five kilometres away and close to the Yobe State boundary.

    Both raids came after an attack on the Yobe State capital, Damaturu, on Monday, which left dead more than 150 people, including 38 policemen and six soldiers

    Fighters in that raid are thought to have come from the Buni Yadi area in the southern part of Yobe, which Boko Haram has controlled for some time.

    Although not as badly hit by Boko Haram violence as Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states, Gombe has seen a number of attacks, including a bus station bombing in October which killed at least eight.

    Ashaka, which is home to a giant cement works owned by French group Lafarge, was hit on November 4, when fighters stole huge quantities of dynamite and several pick-up trucks from the plant.

    The two attacks on Bajoga, Funakaye Local Government Area, and Ashaka fit a pattern of almost daily violence by the Islamists, who have taken over more than two dozen towns in the three worst-affected states in recent months.

    Boko Haram has frequently raided banks for funds to buy weapons. Burning down police stations, government and political party buildings is a sign of their opposition to secular rule.

    In Bajoga, residents said the militants shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greater) and fired indiscriminately before burning down a police station in a three-hour battle with troops.

    “They raided two banks and set fire to offices of political parties. They also set sections of the local government secretariat on fire,” said resident Babani Ashiru

    Another resident, Sani Dankani, said the sound of gunfire and explosions forced him to flee into the nearby bush.

    “From where I’m standing, I can see billows of black smoke coming from different parts of the town,” he added.

    Troop reinforcements were sent from Gombe and a military jet which bombed the militants forced them to withdraw, said local schoolteacher Sa’adu Balarabe.

    Residents in Ashaka reported heavy fighting between troops and the gunmen in the town from about 11am.

    “All we can hear are sounds of guns and explosions,” said Samaila Adnan.

    “Heavy fighting is now going on between the gunmen and soldiers. A military jet is encircling the town,” added another local, Altine Badamasi.

    Since the previous attack on the Lafarge works, more troops were deployed in the town to try to prevent further attacks, residents said.

    The Bajoga Divisional Police Headquarters and banks were attacked and destroyed.

    It said the security agents engaged them in a gun battle of about three hours before eventually repelling them.

    Gombe State Police spokesman Fwaje Atajiri (DSP) said normalcy had been restored. “No cause for alarm.”

    He advised residents to remain calm and go about their normal businesses, but told them to be vigilant and immediately report suspicious activities.

  • Several killed as gunmen attack Gombe

    Several people were reportedly killed on Thursday when gunmen suspected to members of the Boko Haram sect attacked Bajoga town in Funakaye local government area of Gombe State.

    An eyewitness said the gunmen invaded Bajoga between 5 and 6am while Muslim worshippers were concluding their usual early morning prayers.

    They reportedly entered the town in a number of Toyota Hilux vans and started shooting on arrival, forcing residents to either remain indoors or flee into the bush for their lives.

    The Divisional Police Headquarters and Police Area Command at Bajoga as well as one of the banks were attacked and destroyed.

    Our correspondent gathered that security agents engaged them in a gun battle for about three hours before eventually repelling them.

    The assailants were said to have retracted and headed for Ashaka, another town in Funakaye local government which they equally attacked on October 30 and injured a policeman in the process.

    The Gombe State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Fwaje Atajiri (DSP), said normalcy had been restored in the affected areas.

  • FG behind Boko Haram – Sect leader

    Sheikh Muhammad Mahmoud Turi, Leader of El-Zakzaky Muslim Sect in Kano, on Thursday declared that there is no way the Federal Government can exonerate itself from the activities of the Boko Haram sect.

    The sect leader said the consistent operation of the sect in the Northeast and other parts of the North indicated that government and its agencies have a hand in its activities.

    Sheikh Mahmoud, who spoke to reporters at NUJ Press Centre, also said his people would commence a six-day mass trekking ritual from Kano to Zaria starting from Sunday, December 7, to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, a freedom fighter.

    “It is an open secret that the present government cannot exonerate itself from all these mayhem that is happening in the country. It is so obvious that whatever may be the reason, nobody in the country can tell us that the government is not aware or has no hand in what is happening, the government is fully responsible and there is no doubt about it.

    “If one is saying that government is not Boko Haram, how did the soldiers get guns and killed us in Zaria? Are they not the Boko Haram? Who killed the three sons of our national leader in broad day light in Zaria? The soldiers killed our people. Those children were university students and Boko Haram means education is sin, then the soldiers killed them for nothing sake! The soldiers are the Boko Haram.

    “I cannot agree with the vice president or any other person who made such a presentation that the government can be exonerated from the activities of Boko Haram. Nobody anywhere in Nigeria can agree to that—except if that person is either afraid or he is a politician. You can never exonerate or separate the government from Boko Haram,” he stated.

     

  • Security forces, Boko Haram gunmen in shootout in Gombe

    Heavy fighting was reported early Thursday morning between security forces and unknown gunmen suspected to be the dreaded Bokoharam insurgents at Bajoga Headquarters of Funakaye local Government in Gombe
    Sources said fighting started at about 5-6am just as Muslim worshipers were departing from morning prayers.
    Gunshots are still being heard by residents who are trapped in their homes.